Editing Intervision Song Contest (section)

==History==
===1965–1968: The Czechoslovak era===
The first series of Intervision Song Contest, officially called '''Golden Clef Intervision Contest''' ({{langx|cs|Zlatý klíč Intervize}})<ref name="Vuletic 2021 pp. 141–156"/><ref name=expats.cz_article>{{cite web | title=The 'other' European song contest: Czechoslovakia's Intervision was meant to rival Eurovision | website=Prague, Czech Republic | date=2021-05-21 | url=https://www.expats.cz/czech-news/article/the-other-european-song-contest-czechoslovakia-s-intervision-was-meant-to-rival-eurovision | access-date=2024-05-02}}</ref> ran from 1965 to 1968 in [[Czechoslovakia]].<ref name="Postwar Europe" /><ref>{{cite news |last1=Vuletic |first1=Dean |title=The many myths of the Intervision Song Contest — the first attempt to produce a regional version of Eurovision |url=https://wiwibloggs.com/2020/08/20/the-many-myths-of-the-intervision-song-contest-the-first-attempt-to-produce-a-regional-version-of-eurovision/256850/ |access-date=12 May 2023 |publisher=wiwibloggs}}</ref> The inaugural contest was held at the [[Musical Theatre Karlín]] in [[Prague]], with subsequent editions held in [[Bratislava]] and [[Karlovy Vary]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Kölbl |first1=Marko |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zglQEAAAQBAJ&dq=Golden+Clef+Intervision+Contest&pg=PT136 |title=Music and Democracy: Participatory Approaches |last2=Trümpi |first2=Fritz |date=2021-11-18 |publisher=transcript Verlag |isbn=978-3-7328-5657-2 |language=en}}</ref>

===1977–1980: The Polish Sopot era===
{{Further|Sopot International Song Festival}}
The first [[Sopot International Song Festival]] was initiated and organised in 1961 by [[Władysław Szpilman]], assisted by Szymon Zakrzewski from Polish Artists Management (PAGART).<ref>{{cite web|last=Szpilman|first=Wladyslaw|title=Songs composed by Wladyslaw Szpilman|url=http://www.szpilman.net/framesongs.html|publisher=szpilman.net|access-date=30 May 2014|date=1 December 2005}}</ref> The first three editions were held in the Shipyard hall of [[Gdańsk]] (1961–1963), after which the festival moved to the [[Forest Opera]] in [[Sopot]]. The main prize has been Amber Nightingale for most of its history.

Between 1977 and 1980 the Sopot International Song Festival was replaced by the Intervision Song Contest, which was still held in the same venue. Unlike the [[Eurovision Song Contest]], the Sopot International Music Festival often changed its formulas to pick a winner and offered many different contests for its participants. For example, at the 1980 contest two competitions were organised: one for artists representing television companies, the other for those representing record companies. In the first competition, the jury considered the artistic merits of the songs entered, while in the second, it judged the performers' interpretation.<ref name="ISC1980">{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NyQEAAAAMBAJ&q=marika+gombitova&pg=PT64|title=Finn Singer Triumphant At Sopot Contest|first=Roman|last=Waschko|date=1980-09-06|page=65|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|publisher=[[Nielsen Company|Nielsen Business Media]]|access-date=2011-04-05|quote=Two competitions were held at the 4th Intervision Song Festival in Sopot August 20–23, 1980: one for artists representing television companies, the other for those representing record companies. In the first the jury considered the artistic merits of the songs entered; while the performers' interpretation was judged in the second. The outcome was a victory for Finnish singer [[Marion Rung|Marion]] in the first contest, "Where Is the Love?" taking the Grand Prix. Six year ago, the same artist won Grand Prix at the Sopot International Song Festival. First prize was shared by Czech performer, Marika Gombitová with "Declaration", and Russian Nikolai Gnatiuk for the song "Dance on a Drum".}}</ref> The festival has always been open to non-European acts, and countries like Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mongolia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Peru, South Africa, and many others have been represented in the event.

The festival lost popularity in Poland and abroad in the 1980s<!--declining further during the 1990s-->. {{lang|pl|[[Telewizja Polska]]|i=no}} (TVP)'s unconvincing attempts at organising several of the contests led to the authorities of Sopot giving the organisation of the 2005 festival to a private broadcaster, [[TVN (Polish TV channel)|TVN]]. Since 1999, there had been no competition. TVP chose to invite well-known artists instead, featuring the likes of [[Whitney Houston]] or [[The Corrs]]. In 2005, TVN was expected to bring the competition back. In 2006 TVN invited [[Elton John]]. In 2010 and 2011, the festival did not take place due to renovation of the Forest Opera. Since 2012, it has been called ''Sopot Top of the Top Festival'' and is broadcast annually by [[Polsat]]. The festival also provided opportunity to listen to international stars. It featured [[Charles Aznavour]], [[Boney M]], [[Johnny Cash]], and more recently: [[Chuck Berry]], [[Vanessa Mae]], [[Annie Lennox]], [[Vaya Con Dios (band)|Vaya Con Dios]], [[Chris Rea]], [[Tanita Tikaram]], [[La Toya Jackson]], [[Whitney Houston]], [[Kajagoogoo]], as well as [[Goran Bregovic]] and [[Anastacia]].